Let’s talk about your cartilage (Part 2)

I have been helping someone with osteoarthritis in a knee, thumbs, back and neck.

We started with a double dose of my joint support formula which gave her more than 1500mg of high grade chondroitin and glucosamine with 200mg of my proprietary rapid absorption 95 per cent curcumin extract (from turmeric). We added Omega 3 fish oil to help reduce the inflammation in and around the joints.

The result is that six months later her knee is almost pain-free and her back and thumb much better.

In theory, OA is one of the simplest diseases. For years we thought that the cartilage in our joints just wore away over time. We now know that OA is in fact a complex disease where the processes that reduce cartilage are more like corrosion than erosion.

Genetics, lifestyle and nutrition all play a part.

Cartilage is very different from other tissue types. It has no nerve or blood supply and it appears as lifeless tissue.

Cartilage is actually dynamic tissue.

It is a matrix of proteins (collagen and elastin), chondroitin sulphate, water and living cells called chondrocytes.

Research shows that the health of chondrocytes is central to the development of OA. Each chondrocyte looks after a small patch of cartilage, repairing damage by secreting new cartilage matrix where needed.

The problem is if chondrocytes are damaged or, worse, die. This means that cell can no longer maintain cartilage.

Eventually the cartilage thins, leading to a (painful) bone-on-bone scenario.

Nutritional therapy can really help.

I use a three-pronged approach to supporting cartilage. Firstly, we add compounds that can support and build cartilage. Secondly, we add compounds that reduce the inflammation central to arthritis. Often the inflammation causes more pain and mobility loss than the actual cartilage damage. Thirdly, we add the antioxidants that protect chondrocyte cells from further damage. For more information give me a call or email john@abundant.co.nz.